Bending the Rules
by Maysilee Survived
Summary: The 72nd Hunger Games are here, looking into the lives of the tributes, the escorts, and future tributes of the games. NOT and syot. Katniss, Rue, Cato, Clove, and Glimmer so far . Gale and Prim are also briefly mentioned. Please review! "...Hayden zipped up his pack, and loaded his bow. One could never be too careful..."
1. Are You Ready?

**So this is the story that is replacing what used to be my SYOT. THIS IS NO LONGER AN SYOT, and therfore it is not interactive. I just had to say that. Anyway, even if you read my old story, this one has some new parts to it. So, I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

In the Capitol, inside a violently magenta colored house with lime green shutters, lives a family of five. There is a mother, a father, an older sister and two young twins. The father is at home today and he sits on the couch to watch TV. There is a cooking show on, and the chef is instructing viewers in the making of a chicken covered in an orange sauce. This makes the father quite hungry, and he asks his wife if there is any food for him to eat. She replies "Of Course" and then tells him to get up and tend to the garden instead of watching TV. The older sister walks in the doorway and throws herself onto the couch. She turns on the TV and learns that the latest trend is orange skin and purple hair. Her younger brother runs into the room and snatches the remote out of her hands. She swears. There is a short argument and the sister leaves the room in a fury. She dials her best friend on the phone and complains and whines about her unfair life.

Later that night, the same family gathers around the television. They are watching another cooking show. Suddenly, the Capitol seal flashes across the TV and it is now the president who is on the screen.

"I'm sure you're all enjoying the summer. It certainly is a fine one this year. And I am pleased to announce that this year brings the Seventy Third annual hunger games! That's right, and the reapings are tomorrow."

* * *

Alina Escrinquell shakes her silver corkscrews and pushes her lavender bangs out of her face. She examines her hand and frowns as she sees that her natural skin color is beginning to show through the neon green. _Oh well_, she thinks. _Orange skin is the new trend anyway. I'll get it redone after the games are over._ She picks up her crocodile skin handbag (gold with black streaks, so last season) and walks quickly through the streets to the train station.

The security guard asks for her passport. Capitol citizens can't travel out of the city without one. She smiles, and hands it to him.

"Escort?"

"Why yes."

"Which district?"

"Three. I know, it's so _far away._ But at least I'm not in _twelve._" She shudders. "Poor Effie. How she can survive in that barbaric place, I hope I will never have to find out." Alina takes her passport back from the security guard and boards the train. She boards the train and watches a woman with a shiny purple bob step into the train car. It is Olia Cadece, the escort for district seven.

"You think your tributes will win this year?" Olia asks as she slides into the seat next to Alina. Alina frowns, and wrinkles mar her perfect features.

"You know they never do. And it's always been my dream to have escorted winning tributes."

"You have sad dreams."

"Not as sad as yours. Oh," Alina makes her voice high and squeaky to match Olia's. "Oh I just want to _marry_ Finnick Odair. You could have sadder dreams than mine." Olia scowls.

"Your tributes will die in the bloodbath."

"Oh? You want to bet?"

"Sure."

"Your tributes won't make it five minutes." The two women grasp hands and violently shake them.

"This is the first year where I'm looking forward to the reapings."


	2. Reapings

**A/N: Hey everyone! So this is the second chapter. What do you think?**

Camm Levi stands in front of the mirror, and smiles at the beautiful girl with lush brown hair and bright green eyes.

"Hello, Beautiful," she says. Then she giggles.

"Camm! It's time to go to the square! The reaping is about to start!" Camm runs down the stairs and has one foot over the threshold of the door when she spies her reflection in the downstairs mirror.

"Wait!" she cries, then bolts back upstairs to reapply her eye shadow which, apparently, is beginning to fade. Then she notices a small wisp of hair coming out of her ponytail, and has to spend ten minutes fixing it.

"We're going to be LATE!" Shouts her mother, just the slightest bit impatient now.

"Okay, okay." Camm comes back down the stairs and her mother steers her out the door before she can see her reflection again.

Camm walks confidently to the sixteen year olds section in the square of district one. Many boys' heads' turn to stare, and most of the girls give her a "hey, what's up." Camm flips her hair, and turns her attention to the capitol woman on stage.

"She has no sense of fashion, but I just love her hairstyle!" Whispers Camm to a girl beside her. The other girl nods. No one disagrees with Camm Levi. If you did, you're social life is basically over.

"And our female tribute is… Camm Levi." _Did she just say my name? Well, I can't miss an opportunity like this to go somewhere with all eyes on me! _Camm makes her way to the stage, blowing kisses and flipping her ponytail. Ecstatic from all the attention she's getting, Camm forgets _what _the reaping actually is.

* * *

Ken Raleigh watches from the twelve year old section as a gorgeous older girl make her way to the stage. _She doesn't seem to know what's going on. Maybe it's just that I'm _exceptionally_ observant and focused. _The capitol lady goes to the reaping ball, and pulls out a slip. "Drake Raleigh!" Ken's older brother smiles, he had been planning on volunteering, but getting reaped works too.

"Hey, no! I volunteer!" Ken runs up to his older brother and tries to push in front of him, but it doesn't work. Drake shoves him behind him, and climbs the stairs to the stage. Ken follows.

"What are you doing?" Growls Drake.

"I want to volunteer."

* * *

Patrick Norgotto stands in the fourteen year olds section of the square in district five. He pushes a strand of light brown hair away from his face, and nods to his friends, Joshua and Sam. His foster brothers, Jacob and Rondo are in another section somewhere. Patrick decides not to bother worrying about them; they have enough people looking out for them already.

The crazy capitol escort, a thin man with his who body and his short hair dyed green, wobbles up on stage. He's drunk.

"Hello, people of district five. How you doing?" His speech is slurred and his eyes dart around, never looking at one particular thing for more than three seconds. "So this year is the twenty fourth annual hunger games. Let's start with the boys this year. How 'bout that?" He reaches into the reaping ball and grabs a slip.

"And the boy tribute this year is Patrick Nuh-No-Nor-uhhh…"

"Norgotto. Can't you read, idiot?" Calls Patrick as he walks towards the stage. The escort glares at him.

"I don't like your tone, boy." Growls the escort.

"I really don't care about an opinion from a tattooed, drunk, ugly, green guy." Replies Patrick smoothly.

"Talk about ugly yourself. Look at you: pale, red spots, shaggy hair, scrawny-"

"Well," replied Patrick. "At least I'm natural."

**Review? Please?**


	3. Connections

**A/N: Hey everyone! So, just in case anyone is wondering, or if it wasn't that clear, Jaret and Cato are brothers (Jaret is older), and Amethyst is a family friend. Clove is friends with Amethyst, and with her Amethyst's younger sister, Jade. **

* * *

Camm Levi wishes she could find a mirror. Or even a reflective surface. What if her makeup has gotten smudged? There will be cameras at the train station, and she has to look her absolute best. She turns around in circles, but all there is is a wooden door and a velvet couch. Not one thing that reflects. Camm sighs.

A tall girl with long blonde curls stride up to the justice building. Camm had always pushed her around at school, and the girl is not sad that Camm got reaped. She doesn't know what she hopes to accomplish by seeing Camm in person. _I might as well be nice and say goodbye, since I'll never see her again in person. I mean, there's no way she's coming home. She's just too stupid._ The girl pushes open the door, and smiles.

"Hi Camm."

"What are you doing here, loser? I didn't ask for you to come."Camm says, seeming to look down at the girl, even though she is sitting down.

"Did you just call me a loser?" The girl says.

"I think I did." Camm says. The other girl glares at her, and all her plans of being nice disappear.

"I could beat you to the ground right now. I, unlike you, have actual talent that will help me win the games."

"I have talent."

"Being the most popular girl when we were in elementary school doesn't require any talent." The girl's words are greeted by a blank stare from Camm. Then her empty expression turns to one of malice, and she says "Like you could do better."

"I will," says the other girl. "I'm going to volunteer in two years, and I'm going to _win_. But oh, you won't be there to see it. I hope you die in the arena, Camm Levi. Because I hate you." Then the girl stand up, walks out the door, and slams it behind her.

"I hate you too, Glimmer." Camm whispers, but Glimmer is too far away to hear her.

* * *

Amethyst Peterson sits in the justice building of district 2. The door opens, and a girl walks in.

"Hey Clove." Amethyst says. Clove smiles.

"You're going to win," Clove says. She grabs Amethyst's hand. "I know you will. You can totally do this."

"Thanks." The two girls sit in silence for a while.

"Cato's not going to come and say goodbye. You know, because Jaret is his brother and all. I told him he should, but he never listens to me."

"He doesn't listen to me either," Amethyst says. "Neither does Jaret. What is it with their family?" Clove laughs, but soon grows more serious.

"Don't tell Cato," Clove whispers, "but I really want you to win. You _have_ to. Especially for your little sister. Jade's counting on you to come home. She's only eleven.

"Yeah I know," Amethyst says. "Take care of her, okay? And Cato too." Clove snorts. Cato didn't need anyone to take care of him. He thinks he's so tough, being sixteen. But she knows what Amethyst means.

"If I…don't make it back, and I end up killing Cato's brother, tell him I'm sorry, okay?"

"Sure. But I probably won't have to."

"I hope you won't have to either."

* * *

Myria Herri, the new tribute of district 3, stares out the train window. She's in the dining compartment, and quietly sips a mug of something called hot cocoa. _This stuff is really good_ she thinks. The door slides open, and her district partner walks in. A book is in his left hand. Myria wonders where he got it. He has ashen skin, and big wire rimmed glasses. Myria doesn't like the glasses, they make his gray eyes look way too big. Her district partner's name is Tetnus Rimmer, and he's one year younger than Myria.

"Want some company?" Tetnus asks. Myria turns her attention away from the window.

"Sure. Thanks." Tetnus slides into the seat across from her.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"Well, I talk more when I know the person. I mean, it's easier."

"And how do you get to know someone better if you don't talk to them?" Tetnus smiles slightly, but it's a kind smile, the way Myria's mother smiles.

"Well, I talk more when I'm not nervous, but I always feel a little nervous. Especially now."

"Do I make you nervous?" Tetnus asks.

"Not really, not like our escort does." The two warm up more and more as they talk, and their mentor comes in to find them smiling and laughing. _ I'll let them enjoy every minute they can, because once they remember where they're going, laughter will be hard to come by._

**Review? Please?**


	4. That Was Me

**A/N: Hey everyone! Because I forgot to back up the reviews from my previous story, I have lost most of the information on the tributes (Daphne, Ken, Laurath, Myria, Erina, Tetnus, and Amia). I may be able to get it back some time in September, but until then, I will be working from my memory which may not be entirely accurate. If anyone of their creators are out there and would like to PM (**_**PM, PM ONLY PLEASE, NOT IN A REVIEW**_**) me some of their tributes' most important attributes, I would greatly appreciate it.**

**So I know Johanna Mason wins the Hunger Games at some point during Katniss's life, but I don't really know which year exactly because it never says in the books. I've heard that she won the 72****nd**** games, but there's no evidence of that, but since this story takes place in the 72****nd**** games, I'm going to pretend she won the 71****st****. That may or may not be true, but whatever. Also, nothing much is said about Blight, so I'm just making it up. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter, and even if you don't, please please please please review! Thank you.**

"So, Hayden. What do you think your strategy will be in the arena?" Blight asks Hayden Tyker. The other mentor, Johanna Mason, is currently having a similar discussion with Erina Landover.

"I want to get in with the careers. Do you think that will work?" Blight thinks it over.

"It may work, but it will be very hard. I'll talk to the other mentors. Give me an idea of what you can do."

"I shoot a bow and arrow perfectly, I can swim, I can track anything, and I'm fast." Hayden replies.

"Well, someone's cocky. I think the tracking will be most helpful to the careers, so that's what I'll emphasize to their mentors. Here's some advice though. If you do get in with the careers, don't act so superior. They like to be on top of things, and be the ones with authority. If they do let you in with them, don't show any weaknesses, but act humble."

"How do you know so much about the careers?" asks Hayden.

"Because I tried the same strategy in my games." Blight replies.

* * *

Alina Escrinquell examines her nails while she waits for her tributes, Myria and Tetnus, to finish talking with their mentors. Both look quite smart, but strong? Cunning? Not really. Future victors? Definitely not. She flips through channels on the TV until she finds one with a replay of the reapings. Olia's tributes don't look much better, but the boy does show more promise than Tetnus. _I hate losing_, Alina thinks bitterly. _Why did I ever bet on my tributes? District 3 can't do anything, nothing that will help them in the games. And there's no way they can learn enough skills in the training center…But what if they learn skills outside of the training center? _Alina thinks that she may not be the first escort to encourage tributes to cheat, but she knows she is the only one who will actively help them do it.

* * *

A ten year old girl in district 11 holds her sister's hand as she watches the TV screen. Two more years until her first reaping. Two more years until it is her name that will be in those glass balls on stage. But there are so many people in district 11, getting picked seems unlikely. Even so, the girl this year, Amia was only twelve, just two years older.

"Rue? I'm hungry."

"Sorry, honey, we have to wait to eat until breakfast tomorrow. We can't go to the orchards on empty stomachs." Rue's sister glances at the TV screen.

"Did you know that girl?"

"No, she hangs out with the big kids. We seem little to her."

"I bet she seems little to the others."

"She is, honey. She is." Rue watches Amia's face as she walks up to the stage. _That could be me someday. But not yet._

**I know it's short. THe next chapter will be longer, I promise!**


	5. Harder

**A/N: Hey, here's the chapter. Just to put it out there before anyone notices and puts it in a review, then YES, I DID CHANGE THE TENSE. It was too hard to write the other way. Maybe I'll go back and fix the other chapters, but until then, just ignore it. Anyway, enjoy:**

A boy from the Seam looked around him. There were no peacekeepers in sight, they were all probably getting drunk or watching the games or whatever it is that peacekeepers did in their free time. The boy hesitated, and listened for the quiet hum that indicated that the fence was turned on. There was silence. The boy bent down and crawled under the fence, leaving the district and entering the woods.

The first thing he did was check his snares. One of them was empty, but the other two had caught two rabbits each. That was good enough, and added with whatever he shot today…There was a snap of a branch, and the boy turned around

"You've got to be quieter than that, Catnip, or you'll never catch anything."

"I _know_ Gale, but it was just one twig. I'm getting better." Katniss replied.

"Yeah, sure." They both smiled. Katniss had her quiver slung on her back, and her bow in her hand. She and Gale walked deeper into the woods.

"Only two more years 'till I'm safe from the reaping." Gale said.

"And two more years until Prim is in danger from it." There was an awkward silence.

"But Prim will never get picked."

"You're right. She won't. I wouldn't ever let it happen."

* * *

"You don't want to be late for the first day of training!" trilled Olia Cadece, the escort for the district seven tributes. She seemed to be trembling with excitement. Hayden Tyker tried to ignore her, but his eyes kept being drawn to her bright purple bob. She had also managed to find a belt that matched her hair exactly. It was hard not to look at her. She motioned for Hayden and Erina to follow her as she walked to the elevator, but their mentor stopped her.

"They should probably show up to training on their own. I doubt they want to look like babies." Olia pouted, and folded her arms as Hayden pressed a button and the elevator doors closed.

Erina and Hayden split up once they were in the training center. Hayden went straight for the edible plants station. Erina looked around, trying to decide which station to start at. She chose fire starting, and was joined by the girl and boy from district three.

"Hello," said Tetnus. Myria smiled at Erina. The instructor showed them how to start a fire with flint and steel, and then let them try for themselves. Tetnus and Myria picked up pretty quickly, but Erina was having some troubles.

"Here," said Myria, leaning over the table. She took the pieces of flint and steel from Erina and coaxed a spark form them. "Now you try." Erina tried again, but it wasn't working. After ten minutes, she looked up, and noticed that both Tetnus and Myria were starting to look a bit bored. Erina tried again, but had no luck. Myria stood up. "Er, I think I'm going to go try another station. Do you want to come?" Tetnus and Erina both stood up immediately.

"Oh," said Myria. "If you want to try a little more, then we can stay." Erina shrugged, and gave her a wide smile. "Oh, it's okay. I'm sure I'll get it with practice. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow morning." The three of them walked together to the next station.

* * *

Amethyst Peterson, Daphne Pentel, and their district partners sat down at the same lunch table. Daphne let out an exasperated sigh as the two annoying kids from district one joined them. Amethyst growled. "Get lost district one." Ken's eyes narrowed, and his hands balled into fists. At least he could see an insult when it came right at him. Camm, on the other hand, just smiled and sat down right next to Amethyst. Amethyst rammed into her, knocking her off the bench. Camm stood up, her lips puckering up into a pout. After smoothing back her hair, she announced "Well, that wasn't very nice." Daphne rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling. Her district partner gave a _can you believe her _look.

All through lunch, Camm complained about her hair, her makeup, her clothes.

"Shut up." Snapped Daphne. Ken nodded his agreement. Amethyst leaned in close to Camm, their faces an inch apart. "I don't care if our mentors say we're allies." Hissed Amethyst. "If you keep up like this, then after the bloodbath, and this is assuming you will make it through that, then you are on your own. Actually, no. If you make it through the bloodbath, then I swear I'll be the one who kills you, you annoying spoiled brat."

"You shouldn't be jealous," snapped Camm, finally recognizing the tone of voice Amethyst was using for one of anger.

"That's it," snarled Amethyst. Her fist flew out and she punched Camm in the face. "I _will _kill you. Just not now."

* * *

Laurath Cavernson watched the careers across the cafeteria. They seemed to be arguing with each other, a fact that was confirmed when the district two girl punched the idiot girl from district one. On the other end of Laurath's lunch table was a twelve year old girl from district eleven. She had pale skin, short dark hair, and bright aqua colored eyes. She seemed to be trying to sit as far away from Laurath as possible. There was another girl who had amber eyes and her wavy caramel hair up in a messy bun who sat stiffly in the middle of the bench. She was staring at the twelve year old out of the corner of her eyes, but switched her gaze to Laurath when she noticed her looking.  
For some reason, the gamemakers had thought it would be a good idea to only put six tables in the cafeteria. _Oh yeah, _thought Laurath sarcastically. _Let's only give the tributes six tables so they all have to sit together at lunch. Then maybe they'll even get to be friends. Then of course, we'll just dump them in an arena and tell them to kill each other. _Laurath glared at the two other girls at the table. She could tell they were like her, not trusting anyone else, not letting down their defenses. _The gamemakers want us to be friends, so it will be worse in the arena. _Laurath realized. _So I won't give them the satisfaction. I won't get to know those girls. I won't make it harder for myself._

**Reviews=updates. Got it? Thank you!**


	6. The Score

**A/N: Hey everyone! Enjoy the chapter, it's the second to last one before this story takes a four week break (I'm going to camp. No computer access.) **

"Oh! I'm so excited!" Olia Cadece sang as she flopped down into a fluffy chair by the TV. "I can't wait to see what your training scores are! Did you do a good job?" Hayden closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Olia had been going on like this all day, and he was fed up with hearing her voice. Even his district partner Erina was glaring at her, and Hayden hadn't seen Erina glare at anyone. Ever. Finally, the Capitol anthem started playing on the TV and Olia shut up. The district one girl's face was the first, and her photograph looked like a model in a photo shoot. Or at least what Hayden thought a model should look like. There was a six next to her name.

"Wow," said Hayden. "I think that's a first." The district one boy was next, with a seven next to his name. Both district two tributes scored a ten. Erina smiled as Myria's face flashed on the TV, but the number next to it was a six. Tetnus scored a two. Daphne Pentel, the girl from district four scored a nine. Hayden realized that even though the district one tributes were weak, there were three other true careers. The district five boy scored a 0.

"Pathetic," scoffed Olia. Hayden privately agreed. No one in their right mind would sponsor a tribute with a 0. There had never yet been a victor who had no help from sponsors.

"That boy is a goner." Hayden muttered. Erina, however, wasn't so sure.

"He could be hiding something," she offered. "I'm sure he's not hopeless."

"Then why would he get a zero, unless…" Hayden trailed off. "I'll tell you later."

The twelve year old from district six scored a five. In her picture, she was smiling sweetly, but something was off about the smile. Hayden couldn't figure out why it bothered him so much. Then came Erina's picture. Next to her name was a five.

"That's it? That's all? You won't make it past the bloodbath! Now how am I supposed to get promoted if both my tributes die early?" Hayden clenched his teeth; his score hadn't been shown yet.

"Thank you for sharing your opinion." Said Erina. She smiled. There was no trace of sarcasm or mocking in her voice. She was actually sincere. Suddenly, Olia let out a shriek. Hayden turned back towards the TV, and saw an eight flashing by his name.

"Oh! An eight! Good job, boy, good job. I'm soooooo proud of you!" Olia actually jumped up and threw her arms around Hayden. He pushed her off, disgusted. He knew her excitement wasn't about his chances of survival, it was about her chances of getting promoted. Hayden got up and walked back to his room.

"Good job," called Erina from the couch. She stayed to watch the rest of the training scores. Both tributes from eight scored 8's, the boy and girl from nine received a six and a four, Atala and Andronicus scored a seven, and Amia Laksu scored an eight. The tributes from twelve both scored 2's. Erina stood up and headed for her bedroom.

"Don't forget, the interviews are tomorrow!" Olia trilled. Like she could forget.

Amethyst Peterson smiled to herself. She had scored a ten, the highest score this year. And the only one equal to her was her district partner, Jaret. He would be a good ally, but difficult to dispose of. Especially since they were friends, or had been. _There are no friends in the arena._ Amethyst thought. But Jaret came pretty close. And there was Clove and Cato and Jade back home. _If I kill Cato's brother and I don't make it back, tell him I'm sorry._ But she would make it back home, back to Jade. Even if it meant killing her best friend.

Daphne was strong as well, but she was always so bored and emotionless. It was hard to play off of other people's emotions when they let none show. As for Camm and Ken… well, Amethyst smiled to think about the different ways she could kill Camm. The blonde girl was such a brat; and to think that she didn't even realize it was the reaping when she was reaped. _Before I kill her, I am totally going to cut off all her hair. Then maybe I'll pour mud on her clothes, if there is any. That will make her so mad. I should kill her in the bloodbath, no one needs her, she'll just slow us down. _ She grinned. _I can't wait until the games start._

Atala took out her bun, shook her hair, then pushed it back into a messy bun again. She glanced over at Andronicus. He seemed content with a seven. She had to admit, it had surprised her. He didn't seem to have any particular strengths; he had followed her around most of the time during training, doing exactly what she did. He had also followed the careers around, copying their every move until Amethyst threatened him.

"So, can you do anything besides copy other people?" It had come out a bit too mockingly, but it was the truth.

"No, or at least, I don't think so. I've never really tried. Everything I do is basically based off of someone else's actions that I witness."

"So if you saw, say, a tribute making a net, could you make a net too?"

"Oh yes. I could replicate their exact knots. But if they mess up, then I won't know what to do. That's why I left you at the hand to hand combat station. You weren't very good at it. Amethyst however, she's amazing. I wish the trainer had let me challenge her to a fight. I could have beaten her."

"I doubt it," Atala said dismissingly. "Anyway, we're not allowed to make violent actions towards each other until the games actually start."

"Well, then I guess I'll just have to wait for the games." Something about the way he said it made Atala shiver.

"A _six? _You got a _SIX?_" Growled Camm's mentor. "No tribute of mine has _ever _gotten a six! You're a DISGRACE to district one!" Camm flipped her hair, and pulled out a tube of lip gloss.

"What's wrong with a six?"She ventured.

"SIXES ARE FOR THOSE WHO DIE FIRST! YOU RUINED YOUR CHANCES." Shouted her mentor.

"Well, Ken got a seven."

"The difference between a six and a seven are enormous! It's like the difference between a D+ and a C-. You get a C, it's okay. You get a D, you're done for. Anyway, Ken's only twelve."

"I may be only twelve," interrupted Ken, "but I deserved better. I was excellent. The gamemakers don't know who they're dealing with."

"Yeah, well, the sponsors won't know what they're dealing with either, so you better show them when you get in the arena. You better show them what you can do."

**A/N: Review, please!**


	7. Interview

**A/N: Last update before the four week break! But seriously, please please please review. Reviews make me happy. :) Anyway, enjoy the chapter. **

"So Camm, why don't you tell the audience about yourself." The interviewer, Ceaser Flickerman smiled at Camm, who looked stunning in a green silk dress that matched the color of her eyes. Her stylist had wanted her outfit to be along the lines of "Green with Envy." Camm giggled.

"Well, there's my mom and my dad, they both work in the jewelry industry. Then there's my best friend…"

Atala rolled her eyes as the district one supermodel babbled about this and that. Her three minutes couldn't be much longer, right? But then, of course, she would have to endure through eighteen more interviews. Atala glanced down at her dress. Her stylist had thought it would be a good idea for it to be _pink_ of all things. Looking innocent wasn't so bad, but going to the interviews in a pink, frilly dress? And with her caramel brown hair straightened and floating just above her shoulders all shiny and glossy? No one would take her seriously! But then, maybe that was a good thing…

"…And my mother, Martha, she takes care of me and all my brothers and sister. She has trouble sleeping, and I'm sure she must be distraught that I'm here, away from her." The crowd let out a sad sigh. Ken dutifully kept his face sad, hoping to gain more sympathy from the crowd full of possible sponsors.

"and do you have any siblings?" inquired Ceaser. Ken nodded energetically. "Oh yes, there's my older brothers, Leo, then there's Drake. I also have two twin brothers, Haron and Heron, and then there's my little sister, Becky. She's six years old and I love her sooooo much. She misses me and I have to get home to her. And there's of my family of course, they all miss me terribly." The crowd sighed. No family deserved to lose such a wonderful little boy.

"So Ken-" the buzzer rang, signaling the end of Ken's three minutes. "Never mind. Next, Amethyst Peterson!"

Amethyst looked gorgeous in a purple dress to match her name, and her dark hair was tied in an intricate knot at the name of her neck. She smiled at Ceaser.

"So Amethyst, what do you think of the competition this year?"

"Competition? Well, I have to say, there isn't much this year." The audience roared with laughter. "I mean, look at them. They're just a group of poor underfed children. Open your eyes, Jaret and I have the highest scores this year. Who are you going to sponsor?"

Laurath sighed. Amethyst was the ultimate career, cocky, strong, ready to kill. And she was actually appealing to the audience directly, asking for sponsors. Laurath hoped that strategy would backfire. She felt slightly nervous, and wished she could just get her interview over with now. What was she supposed to say in three minutes? And why would she want to share anything with the barbaric members of the Capitol?

Jaret's interview went by relatively fast, as did those of the district three tributes. The boy and girl both acted nice and smart, fitting in with the usual Three stereotypes. The girl from district four, Daphine? No, Daphne. Her stylist had used something to make her normally mousy brown hair shine, and Laurath thought she even saw it sparkle. Daphne sighed a lot, and gave short answers to the questions. She never elaborated on anything. Ceaser was starting to look worried; nothing of remote interest was coming from Daphne, and he felt relieved when the buzzer rang.

Patrick Norgotto heard the buzzer as his district partner sat down. Ceaser turned to him. "So, Patrick, is it? Why don't you tell us something about yourself."

"No, I don't think so."

"Excuse me?" Ceaser was baffled. No tribute had ever spoken to him like this.

"I said, I don't want to tell anyone anything about myself."

"Then why don't you tell us about your training score."

"I got a zero. What else is there to know?" The audience gasped.

"Well," said Ceaser. "Is there anything you _would _like to talk about? We still have a minute and thirty seconds." Patrick glared at him, and sat down. He pointedly pressed his lips together, and crossed his arms. In the back of his mind, he laughed at Ceaser as he tried to coax at least one more word from his mouth. _Let him splutter. Let the audience be shocked. I won't play by the rules, I won't play by anyone's rules but my own. _And so, the last minute of his interview ticked away in silence.

Erina watched the tiny girl from district six stand up. When she answered Ceaser's question, the audience sighed with relief. Patrick had made a fool of himself, but Erina was sure there must be something to him. How could anyone get a zero? Lis Mercaede, the district six tribute, was twelve years old and skinny as a tooth pick. Her stylist had obviously tried to do something about her stringy hair, but the headpiece she wore just made it look flatter. She answered all of Ceaser's questions in a high, trembling voice. Erina could barely hear her answers. Every comment she made drew reactions from the audience. And Lis's reactions seemed to go along perfectly with them. Too perfectly. She had just the right smile here, just the slightest tremble in her voice. She was acting, Erina was sure of it. And what the act was hiding, she had no idea.

**REview? Please? **

**See you in four weeks! **

**~Maysilee**


	8. Bloodbath

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! Four weeks and only 1 review? That's just sad. I mean, this is the 8th chapter, and so far I only have 7 reviews. Really. I'd like to see at least ten. (*coughHINTHINTcough*). Yeah, anyway. Here's the chapter. Enjoy. (Or, don't enjoy, because people die and it's sad...oh you know what I mean.)**

Twenty four tributes rose into the arena. The golden cornucopia gleamed, and was stuffed with piles of weapons, food, medicine, and other necessary and unnecessary supplies. All around, the ground sparkled in the sunlight, because the arena, as far as any tribute could see, was made of ice.

Sixty.

Atala Lagree glanced to her left and right. Erina was to her left, Lis was to her right. Erina's eyes darted back and forth, and she shook slightly. Atala realized she was shivering. The ground in front of her was completely smooth, but the reflection of sunlight proved it might also be quite slippery. She was a fast runner, she could probably beat most of the tributes to the cornucopia. But what would she get? She needed to have an idea so she could grab the items and run. Otherwise she'd be caught in the bloodbath.

Fifty.

Amethyst smiled. A sword lay on the outer edges of the pile of supplies. She could reach it, before anyone else. And even if she didn't, it wasn't like any of the tributes could take her. Except for maybe Jaret and Daphne, but they were allies. For now, at least. She spotted Camm, who was four places to her right, and was twirling a strand of her blonde hair around a thin finger. Amethyst's smiled widened as she envisioned herself attacking Camm. She imagined how it would feel to have a fistful of her silky blond hair, to yank it up, and then slowly hack it off with a knife. There was no mud in the arena, but Camm would probably panic at any stains on her clothes. Especially if they were in her own blood.

Forty.

Amia saw a knife lying just twenty feet from where she stood. A few feet from it was a shiny gold clutch, patterned like snakeskin. _Why would something like that be in the arena?_ Maybe it held medical supplies. Maybe it had food. It must be something useful.

Thirty.

Tetnus was going to run. As far away from the cornucopia as possible. He, Myria, and Erina had all planned to meet each other as soon as possible after the bloodbath. The two girls were fast runners, and had worked out something between each other on getting supplies. It would be dangerous, but the girls had a plan. He hoped that it would work. They were too young to die. They were all too young to die.

Twenty.

Camm thought the ice was beautiful. If she leaned over, she might be able to see her reflection in it. But if she leaned over, she might fall, and set off the land mines. Lying next to a small knife was a bright golden clutch. It looked just like the one she had at home. She was sure it held makeup. _I have to get my hands on that!_

Ten. Hayden was sure the time was up already. The minute felt so long. Where was the gong? But he would wait. Because there was no way he'd mess up his chances _that_ quickly. Five. Amethyst's eyes flicked to Jaret. They locked eyes and smiled. Four. Three. Two. One.

Amia sprinted forward the moment she heard the gong. She snatched the knife, and the golden clutch. The zipper had been left open, and its contents spilled out. Nail polish, lip gloss. Suddenly, someone slammed into her, and she fell to the ground. It was the district one girl, with a feral gleam in her eye. They wrestled on the ground and Amia soon gained the advantage. She swung the knife around, and it sank deep into Camm's shoulder. Just then, pain shot up through her leg. She looked down, and saw an arrow sticking out of her calf. The hulking district two girl was coming straight at them.

Amethyst saw the tiny twelve year old quivering in fear. She had been about to slit Camm's throat, until someone had shot her. Amethyst thanked whoever it was. Camm was going to be her kill. The sword she had picked up felt good in her hand, like an extended part of her arm. It was just the right weight, and was already covered in fresh blood. She waited for Camm to get up off the ground. Amia had fallen back, and appeared to be unconscious. Amethyst considered finishing her off, but decided it was more important to gain control of the supplies. She dragged Camm behind her and fought her way to the cornucopia.

Myria ran. There were backpacks, three of them, just a few feet ahead of her. There was an axe lying next to them. She picked it up first, for Erina. She was from district seven, she could handle an axe. Probably. Myria swung the first backpack onto her back, and fell flat on her face. She could feel something small and sharp, resting against her back. Someone was running towards her. She pulled her arms out of the bag's straps, and rolled sideways. There was a spear sticking out of the bag she had just grabbed. Had she not grabbed the bag, it would have gone straight through her. Something whipped over her head. She fought the urge to run. Erina and Tetnus needed supplies. Where _was_ Erina? They had worked out a plan before the games. The two of them were supposed to meet up, one getting supplies and the other holding off tributes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of metal, spinning towards her head. She sidestepped, and swung her axe. The head of the district four boy rolled sideways. Blood gushed out of his neck. Myria stepped back, and vomited.

"Get up." Erina yanked Myria to her feet. "We have to run." Erina had two backpacks, and two weapons. She tossed a pack to Myria, and ran. Myria followed, and the two girls ran over the plain of ice.

Ken had a slingshot. Most of the tributes had either grabbed what they needed and ran, or been killed. Only a few remained, and Amethyst, Daphne, and Jaret were taking care of them. Camm, his district partner, was standing off to the side, playing with something that looked like makeup. Ken wanted a better weapon, but he didn't want to go anywhere near the careers. They were leaving him alone for now, but it probably wouldn't last. His mentor had suggested allying with them, but he didn't take the advice. Any allies he had would betray him, especially if they were careers. No, it was better to steer clear of them all together. Also, during training, Amethyst hadn't bothered to conceal her loathing of him. When she looked at him, it was with a look of disgust, like she didn't think he would survive. He'd show her. He'd make it through the bloodbath. He'd show everyone, Drake especially. Ken was going to do more than survive, he was going to _win_. And the first step to winning was avoiding Amethyst's sword.

Laurath ran for the knives. Getting her hands on them might make all the difference in the games. No one tried to stop her as she ran. She scooped up six, and a small sack along with it. She turned away, and something hit her shoulder. It didn't hurt much, but it made her pause. The little devil from one, Ken, was grinning wickedly. He was running towards her. Laurath wasn't afraid, he was tiny. She hated to waste one of her precious knives, and the thought of killing a twelve year old would probably haunt her later, but she put it out of mind as Ken came closer. Her first knife caught him in the shoulder, and he stumbled and fell. Laurath hesitated on whether she should go up and finish him off, or run away. Ken decided for her by getting to his feet and charging. Finish him off it was. She stepped aside at the last moment, and kicked him hard in the back. He fell face down onto the ice. A pool of blood started to spread around him, and Laurath backed up quickly for fear of slipping in it. She snatched her knife out of his hand, and raised it above her head, intending to bring it down over his neck. Just then, and arrow caught her in the back. She sank to her knees. Another sailed past her right ear and impaled itself in the district eleven boy's neck.

"You're not shooting to kill, are you?" Growled a voice. It was Amethyst. Laurath stared at the boy standing next to her. She couldn't remember his name, but she was pretty sure that he was from district 7.

"If you don't kill her, I'm going to. And then I'll kill you. You're a coward." Amethyst raised her sword.

"I am not," Hayden protested.

"Then kill her. And do it slowly."

Laurath wasn't sure if she imagined it, but though she saw him shake his head. They made eye contact, but Hayden quickly looked away. He notched an arrow in his bow. His lips were moving, forming the same words over and over. _I'm sorry, I'm sorry…_

Laurath felt the blood drip down her neck. _I'll miss you, Saffron…_ She thought, as her vision went dark.

Amia heard the cannons. She didn't dare look up at the sky, not yet. The cannons didn't go off until the tributes had dispersed, but she had the feeling that the careers weren't far away. She wondered if there were any more supplies left in the cornucopia, or if it had been picked clean. The careers must have forgotten that she was still alive. It had been uncomfortable to lie still for hours, as battles raged around her. Amia knew that at anytime, someone could kill her. But no one realized she was alive. The cannons finished shooting. Ten were dead. Not even half the tributes. But still, ten were out already, and Amia was glad to not count herself among them.

**Review! Please!**


	9. Poison

**A/N: HI everyone! Since I have finally managed to PM nearly everyone who was originally participating in this story, I say WELCOME BACK! I also say, even if you already read all the other chapters the first time around, I've added a few new things, so if you feel like it, go back and skim the old chapters. Rue makes an appearance, and so do Katniss, Gale, Cato, and Clove. If you like it, review maybe? Anyway, thanks for sticking with this story and extra big thanks for reviewing it. I'm so excited for the HG movie to come out on DVD, I'm definitely going to go and get it. Here's the chapter, enjoy!**

* * *

Effie Trinket adjusted her blue wig. Next year she decided she was going to do lavender, and the year after she would do pink. Almost like following the colors of the rainbow, she thought, if the rainbow included pink. She didn't really want to watch the recap of the deaths, because she knew that neither of her tributes had made it. _Maybe someday, some of them will survive. And then I can get a promotion!_ The Capitol anthem played, as the videos of the deaths flashed by in a quick montage: Myria Herri decapitating the boy from district 4, Amethyst Peterson running the girl from 5 through with a long sword. The district 6 boy running and tripping over a backpack, to be stabbed in the back by Daphne Pental. Laurath Cavernson of district 8 took an arrow to her back, and was killed with another arrow by Hayden Tyker. _Nothing good can be coming to him, _Effie thought, as she watched Amethyst yell at him. The pair from district 9 fought it out against Jaret Southerland, the camera showed the whole thing in slow motion while playing dramatic music. Effie heard herself gasp as both tributes fell to the large boy from 2. Then the action sped up again as the district 12 girl stabbed her the boy from district 11. The montage ended showing Amethyst Peterson running both district 12 tributes through with her sword.

Effie turned off the TV, and leaned back against the couch. It was days like this that made her wonder if maybe, just maybe, the Hunger Games were wrong.

* * *

Olia Cadece examined her newly painted nails (neon orange this time) as she turned on the TV. She and Alina had gotten together to watch the bloodbath. Alina had seemed very confident that her tributes were going to make it. Too confident, Olia decided. They were only from district three after all, and neither of them had impressed her during their interviews. Now her own tributes, they would last for a while. Hayden had a chance, Olia thought, a definite chance of making it to at least the final eight.  
"Bet you a trip to the salon that one of your tributes will die in the bloodbath," Olia had said.

"You're on," Alina replied, and laughed with delight as Myria and Tetnus ran to join the girl from district 7. "Looks like our tributes have joined each other. And my tribute was the one to get supplies. Still think I'm going to lose? You owe me a trip to the salon, by the way." Olia had nothing to say in reply.

* * *

The alliance wasn't going to last long. Camm, Amethyst, Jaret, Daphne, and Hayden. Five out of the fourteen remaining tributes. Hayden could see the bloodlust in Amethyst's eyes, and the anger. It was obvious she didn't like Ken or Camm, and she was angry at Hayden for not doing what she told him to. _For not torturing someone. She's angry at me for refusing to be like her, _he thought. _Well I'm nothing like you. I swear I never will be._

* * *

"Come on Amethyst, come on!" Clove whispered, not able to take her eyes of the screen. "Survive the bloodbath. You can do it."

"What are you saying?" The little girl behind Clove asked curiously.

"I'm telling your sister that she can win," Clove replied.

The little girl looked thoughtful. "You know she can't hear you, right?"

Clove laughed."Of course I know that. I'm just saying it."

"Oh. Okay." The two sat together as they watched Amethyst on the TV. She swung her sword and killed the girl from district twelve. _Too easy,_ Clove thought to herself.

"I don't ever want to go to the hunger games," Jade announced. Clove looked surprised, but shrugged.

"That's okay Jade, I'll make sure you never have to."

* * *

Lis Mercaede ran as fast as she could, trying not to slip on the ice. _Good thing my boots have good traction,_ she thought. Her first course of action was to find somewhere to hide, get out of the open. But as far as she could see, there was flat ice. _There must be somewhere to hide,_ she thought. She kept moving forward. She thought she saw what looked like a forest in the distance, but it was hard to make out.  
After what felt like hours, she reached it. The first thing she noticed was that the ice stopped abruptly, in a perfect straight line. Beyond the line was soft dirt. Hesitantly, Lis put her toe over the ice line. Nothing happened. She crept forward. She could feel the temperature rising, the forest was warm. She realized the gamemakers must have this section of the arena set in a different temperature. _Interesting,_ she thought. It wasn't the most original thing, but there were sure to be other surprises in store. _But I have the biggest surprise,_ she decided, smiling. _No one can guess my secret._

* * *

Glimmer sat on the couch in front of the TV. She had been disappointed to see that Camm had made it past the bloodbath. Camm was such an idiot, Glimmer didn't know why no one had volunteered for her. Going for a _golden clutch_ at the bloodbath? Really? _I'm not that stupid, no one's that stupid. And when I'm in the arena, I'll do a lot better than that. _Camm had no chance, no chance at all. It was obvious that her allies all hated her, the girl from district two especially. _Make an enemy like that and you won't come home alive,_ Glimmer decided. But then, she hadn't wanted Camm to come home anyway.

* * *

Ken had reached the forest quickly. There was no sign of any other tributes. Good. That gave him a chance to rest, and plan. Ken considered himself a brilliant strategist.  
His mentor's words echoed in his head._"You better show them what you can do."_ Ken smiled slightly. _Watch this,_ he thought. He loaded a rock in his slingshot and was about to fire it when he heard a stick crack in very close proximity to where he was standing. He dived behind a bush in an attempt to hide, just as Lis stepped into his line of sight.

* * *

Lis had been waiting for an opportunity like this. She could see the boy hiding behind the bush, an easy victim. _I'll kill him soon. But I'm so hungry._ Her stomach growled, as if to prove her point_._ She looked around for something to eat. She couldn't hunt anything, not just yet. She didn't want to give away her special talent. Her eyes fell upon a patch of berries. _I'll just take one of those, _she decided. _Then I'll get that boy._ She picked up the berry and examined it closely. It was dark colored, blackish blue like a bruise. The juice was magenta, and left a stain on Lis's wrist. _I love blueberries, _ she thought, and popped one in her mouth.

* * *

Ken watched the girl from district 6 look at his hiding place. He saw her smile, and his heart sank as he'd realized she'd seen him. _But she doesn't have a weapon, does she?_ He thought. Then she'd opened her mouth, just a little, and he saw the razor sharp teeth. _How did that happen? _Ken wondered. _She's not a tribute, she's a mutt! _Ken knew now that there would be no escape. He was going to die here, killed by a child smaller than himself. And then he'd heard her stomach growl, and watched her pick a berry. He had watched her examine it, then put a little of its juice on her skin, like she was trying to check whether it was poisonous or not. He watched as she put one, then two then three into her mouth, smiling as she swallowed. And he watched her crumple to the ground as the poison coursed through her body.


	10. Careers Minus Two

**A/N: So this is probably my last update before school starts. I don't know how often I'll be able to update, but I'm hoping for at least once a month. I know, it's a long time, but there's homework, and I'm also almost done with my first draft of an original manuscript for a novel. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter, even if it's kind of short. Enjoy the rest of your summer. And review! Please? Come on, I know you're out there. Thank you!**

**~Maysilee**

Amia Laksu limped painfully across the ice, cursing the arrow wound in her calf. Night was falling and she knew she needed to find some kind of shelter, or, at least get out of the open. In the distance, she could see tall trees and rock. She began to move faster, and very soon she was at the edge of the trees. Trees, or rocks? She thought. She decided trees would give her more shelter, from both the weather and other tributes. She stepped into the forest. So far she was safe. She thought about the fight at the cornucopia, how the girl from district 2 had let her run away. _Maybe she's not so bad,_ Amia thought. _Or maybe I'm just being stupid._ She decided that whichever it was, she would steer clear of the career alliance. At least, that is, until she found a weapon.

Camm glanced at the sky. A picture of that strange little girl from district 6 appeared, then vanished all too quickly.

"Another one dead," Amethyst said. "Twelve left to go."

"You mean thirteen, right?" Daphne said.

"No!" Amethyst snapped. "Twelve." Twelve more tributes to die before she became the victor. And one of those tributes was her best friend's brother.

"Has anyone seen my lip gloss? I haven't applied any in like, four minutes." Camm complained. Amethyst shuddered inwardly at the sound of her awful, whiny voice. Her incessant complaints, her complete oblivion to what was happening. _I might as well take one more down, before I deal with Jaret,_ she thought. She grinned slowly, and looked over at Camm.

Hayden watched Amethyst stand up and call to Camm. He watched her grab her sword, and lead Camm deeper into the woods, too far away for him to see. _She's going to kill her, _he decided. But somehow, even he couldn't bring himself to care. Camm was an idiot. She was practically asking for death, and had been from the moment she had been reaped.

"Amethyst, what are you doing?" Camm said smiling. Amethyst was holding a sword, and her eyes were bright.

"Exactly what I promised you I would."

Amethyst kicked Camm in the back, until she was face down on the ground. Amethyst grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. With multiple, hacking blows, she cut it off. She held the fistful of soft blonde hair in front of Camm's face. Camm shrieked, running a hand over her head multiple times until she grasped what had happened to her. Amethyst grabbed Camm's hand and twisted her wrist, around, then slammed her hand into the ground.

"Look down," Amethyst muttered. "I think you may have chipped a nail." Camm stared at her hands, tears running down her face as she saw flakes of pink polish. She reached for Amethyst's sword, cutting her hands on the blade. Camm didn't care. The reflection that stared back at her was unrecognizable. The girl staring back at her had short, spiky blonde hair and dirt on her face. She had mascara running down her cheeks.

"All I wanted," she choked. "Was to die beautiful." Her words made Amethyst pause, just a little bit.

"Yeah well," she said. "I don't want to die at all. And you're in my way of that." In a kinder voice, Amethyst said: "But if it makes you feel better, you're still beautiful." And she was. She didn't need long hair or makeup, or fashionable clothes. But Camm had never understood that. And she never would. Amethyst swung her sword, and Camm Levi died.

Amethyst hadn't come back for a very long time. So long in fact, that it had gotten completely dark. Hayden had volunteered to take watch, and he sat silently, waiting for the others to go to sleep. The only one left awake was Daphne Pental. She sat quietly, staring intently at him. Hayden needed her to fall asleep, because he couldn't risk killing her. But if he waited too long, Amethyst would come back.

Daphne was fast, he knew. But hopefully, Hayden was faster.

"What are you doing?" Daphne said, sounding completely uninterested in hearing his answer. Hayden picked up his bow and a quiver of arrows, there were ten left, and grabbed a backpack full of food.

"Leaving. If you try to stop me, I'll shoot you." Dahpne raised her eyebrow.

"Okay," she said. "Then start running." And she laid her head down and closed her eyes. Hayden marveled at his luck. And then he ran.


	11. Tension

**A/N: Hey everyone! Okay, sorry that some tributes get mentioned ****_wayyyyy _****more than others. Like, Atala hasn't been mentioned since the bloodbath, and Patrick hasn't appeared since the interviews or something. I know, it's pretty sad. So, sorry about that. I just got super focused on the careers. I'll try to do better. Except that this chapter is like, career focused. But don't worry, the next chapter will be about like, everyone else. Also, if it seems like there's a lot about Atala, it's because I actually have information on her, (like, a page and a half!), and I didn't want it to go to waste.**

**So, enjoy. And Jaret's last name is Southerland, in case no one caught that. (I only mentioned it once, so I don't blame you.) I'll stop talking now.**

* * *

Hayden alternated between running and walking all night not wanting to stop moving until he had put a huge amount of distance between him and the careers. It should have been a good plan. Stay with them, benefit from their supplies and protection, then run off before they could turn on him. It should have worked. But here he was, alone, and it was the second day. Because as much as he had planned and talked and gone over many variables in his plan, he hadn't counted on Amethyst being, well, as unstable as she was. And he definitely hadn't counted on her murdering one of her allies before the day was out. He also hadn't counted on Daphne letting him go so easily though. Instead of fighting, she had just pretended to be asleep. Maybe he wasn't the only person disloyal to the careers. And now there were only three of them. Jaret, Amethyst, and Daphne. If Daphne knew what was good for her, she'd leave too, Hayden thought. He hoped she would make it.

He realized he'd run onto a field of boulders. He saw a small opening between two rocks that looked like a good shelter. He had just crawled inside when exhaustion and his lack of sleep caught up with him. Then he fell asleep.

* * *

"Where is he!?" Amethyst shrieked at her allies. "How could you let him run away? He stole a backpack, and took his weapons. How could you let him leave?" She stamped her foot in frustration, knowing that there was a perfectly capable and well fed tribute out there somewhere.

"Maybe you shouldn't have taken so long torturing that girl from One," Daphne snapped back.

"Maybe one of you should have stayed awake." Amethyst retorted.

"Amethyst," Jaret said quietly, starting to put his hand on her shoulder then thinking better of it. "Generally the point of having a watch is so other people can get some sleep without worrying." She sighed, all the anger seeming to have left her.

"Fine," she said. "You're right. But now we have a problem. There's only three of us. And we should be looking for other tributes."

"We can," Daphne said. "One person stays here and guards the stuff, two people go and er… hunt."

"If you think I'm going to let you stay here by yourself, then you are _so_ wrong. You'll steal everything and run, just like what's-his-name from Seven."

"Hayden?" Jaret suggested. Amethyst nodded. "Well," he said. "I'll stay here and guard then, and you two can go."

"Hell no!" Daphne said. She had a general distrust of most people, and it had served her well over the years. And spending a day alone with Amethyst well, Daphne knew if she did that then she wouldn't live to see the night.

Amethyst grinned as she watched Daphne's reaction. "Then it's only the logical choice that I stay." She said. "Have fun, you two."

* * *

Jade stood on the doorstep, tapping her foot impatiently. Clove crossed her arms.

"Honestly, how long does it take Cato to answer the door?" she complained. Jade shrugged. Just then the door opened.

"Hey," Cato said.

"Cato!" His mom shouted from somewhere else in the house. "That is not how you welcome guests!" He rolled his eyes and held the door so the two girls could come in.

"You've grown," Clove muttered looking up at him. "And you're a lot bigger."

"I've been working out," he said. Jade giggled.

Cato and the girls walked into the kitchen where his mom was waiting.

"Hi Mrs. Southerland," Jade said. "Have you been following the games lately?" She let out a yelp as Clove kicked her. Mrs. Southerland's hair was messy and her eyes were bloodshot, but she forced her face into a smile.

"Of course I have been dear. The games are on now, of course, would you like to watch them?"

"Sure," Jade said. "You guys have a better TV than we do, you know, since you guys live in the victor's village and all." As she followed Mrs. Southerland into the living room where the TV was, Clove leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Jade, don't mention the games next time, okay? It's your sister against her son and Cato's brother. And even if it's only the second day, just remember that only one of them can win."

"Oh," Jade said, horrified at her mistake. "You're right, I shouldn't have mentioned it."

They watched the games for a while. The career alliance was down to three people, to everyone's surprise. After Amethyst assigned herself to guard duty, Mrs. Southerland stood up and announced that she had laundry to do. She left quickly.

"Your mom doesn't like watching the games?" Jade remarked.

"She's just worried," Cato said dismissively. "But she doesn't need to be. Jaret's in no big danger. He'll win the thing easily." Clove, who was sitting between Cato and Jade, elbowed him hard. It was too late.

"Excuse me?" Jade growled, getting to her feet and standing in front Cato. She put her hands on her hips. It was meant to be intimidating, but since she was only eleven and Cato was sixteen, plus the fact that Cato towered above her even when he was sitting ruined the effect. "My sister won't go down that easily. She promised me she was coming home. And my sister never breaks her promises. Never!" Her chin quivered and she wiped furiously at the tears that began to stream down her face.

"I'm sorry," Cato said quickly. "You know I didn't mean…"

"I think we should go," Clove said. "Come on Jade, I'll take you home."She gently took the little girl's arm and began to lead her away.

"But you just came," Cato protested.

"I'll be back," Clove promised. As she was closing the door behind her, she said "You can't get rid of me _that_ easily." Cato found himself smiling.

* * *

Atala Lagree stumbled through the forest. She had gotten a nasty cut on her ankle in the bloodbath. But what was important was that she had made it out alive. _And _she had six throwing knives and some rope to show for it. She hadn't gotten any food, but she had set up some snares as soon as she had entered the forest. Her effort had been rewarded with two rabbits and a squirrel. What she really needed to find now was a backpack. You can only fit so much meat into the pockets of a jacket.

Atala found herself thinking about her family. She wondered if they were watching her. They probably were, she decided. _How can all my brothers have made it through the reaping safely, even when they take tesserae, and then I get picked. Why couldn't I have been that lucky? _Her brothers, Orlando, Evan, and Hank, were ages 20, 19, and 18. Lucky, all of them.

Evan, Hank, and her father, Cedar, where probably all watching her together. Orlando was most likely with his girlfriend, Aurelia Press. Atala hated Aurelia, so much. She hated her, her frizzy red hair and her icy blue eyes, the way she had pretended to cry in front of Orlando when the two of them had said goodbye to her, even though she had grinned excitedly when Atala was reaped.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the crack of a branch. Atala turned and saw the little girl from district eleven. Her aqua eyes widened with fear. Something roared behind Atala. It was a mutt, huge, like a lion. It had six inch razor sharp claws and intelligent black eyes. The little girl had already began running in the opposite direction. Atala didn't hesitate to follow her.

* * *

**REVIEW Review review! Pretty pretty please with a cherry on top? **


	12. Friends and Tears

**/N: Hey everyone! Here is October's chapter. I got all of the tribute info back! Hurray! I now know that Amia is bad at making snares, although I apparently had her catch two rabbits and a squirrel in the last chapter. Oh well. Maybe she learned something during training, no? I'm going to have to kill off another character soon or the story will go nowhere…*sob***

**Anyway, that's all for now. Bye!**

* * *

Amia Laksu ran. She knew there was a tribute behind her, and she was tempted to turn around and see who it was. To make sure it wasn't one of the careers, or anyone who would do her immediate harm. But looking behind her meant distraction, it meant tripping, and tripping now meant certain death. Amia wondered if the mutt had been there all along, or if the gamemakers had thrown it into the arena to stir things up. Wasn't enough happening to the other tributes? Was the audience bored already? Her mind landed on her knives, and she tried to work out if she could kill the mutt. Better not risk it. She also thought about climbing a tree, but who knew how high the mutt could jump? Amia slapped a strand of hair out of her face and kept running.

* * *

A small girl with blonde hair curled up on the small couch in her house. Outside, the sky was dark and rain pounded the metal roofs. The girl's mother sat next to her, but her blue eyes did not look at the TV screen in front of them. The woman stared out into space, lost in her own pain and sadness. The little girl waved a hand in front of her mother's face, but the woman did not even blink.

On the TV, a girl with short dark hair was running away from a horrible lion like creature. The girl was only twelve, only two years older. _Two years, _ the girl thought. _Two years and that could be me._ The mutt bared its teeth, saliva dripping from its mouth as it continued to run. The twelve year old was fast, but she would tire soon. And when she did…

The little girl felt a tear slip out of her eye and run down her face. She heard the bang of a door, and her older sister came into the room, throwing down a bag of dead squirrels.

"Hey little duck. Don't cry," Katniss said. "I won't let anyone hurt you." Primrose Everdeen managed a smile through her tears.

* * *

Back in district five, Sam, Joshua, and Natalie watched Patrick Norgotto walk through a field of boulders.

"He's walking?" Natalie asked. "Shouldn't he be, like, running away?"

"He's Patrick," Sam replied, as if that explained everything.

"I'm surprised he's made it this far," Rondo, one of Patrick's foster brothers, said. "A zero for a training score? He's survived the bloodbath, but who's gonna sponsor him? If I were a capitol freak, I wouldn't."

"But he's not talentless," Natalie said. "I mean, sure, he's kind of awkwardly tall and his voice-"

"Now now Natalie," Joshua said in a false reprimanding tone. "It's not nice to mock others."

"But what's he doing?" Sam said. "Nat's right, he's not talentless. He may not be a career, or as strong as that boy from seven, but there's luck involved too. If he tried, I bet he could win this thing."

"But does he want to?" Joshua asked. The three friends and Patrick's brother exchanged a glance. Each knew the answer.

* * *

Patrick whistled slightly to himself. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he almost didn't notice a pair of feet sticking out of the shadows. He crept towards them.

He recognized the tribute as the boy from seven, Dylan? Hector? Hayden? Something like that. It didn't really matter. Patrick saw the boy's bow lying next to him, and a backpack. One straight from the center of the cornucopia.

Patrick briefly considered stabbing the boy with one of his own arrows, then found himself disgusted with the thought. _I'm not going to kill for those freaks. And this boy's not even hurting me. _He carefully took some food from the backpack, then gently pushed Hayden's feet into the shadows. Satisfied that no one else would find the boy by accident, Patrick kept walking.

Once he determined himself out of the range Hayden's hearing, he stopped.

"I DIDN'T KILL HIM!" Patrick yelled at the top of his lungs. "BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT? I'M NOT JUST A PAWN TO PUSH AROUND. I AM MY OWN PERSON, AND NOTHING YOU DO WILL CHANGE THAT." His voice cracked, and he could almost hear the laughter of the bullies who teased him back in district five. The capitol freaks were probably laughing at him too. Patrick found himself smiling at the idea. "KILLING PEOPLE IS SICK." He shouted. "AND YOU KNOW WHAT? ALL OF YOU WATCHING THIS ARE SICK FREAKS. What do you think of that?" Suddenly, Patrick began laughing, and he couldn't stop. Let them kill him with a man made earthquake. A fire. A landslide. As long as he was alive, he would shame the Capitol, make fun of him. He would play against their game, he would do everything in his power to make them suffer. And though Patrick Norgotto had very little power, he felt on top.

* * *

Mrs. Southerland gripped her teacup like it was the only thing holding her in the world. Mrs. Peterson was doing the same. The two women, and a group of others, had been tasked with throwing a party. Why anyone felt like partying right now, Mrs. Southerland could not fathom. Apparently some of the younger children at school had been feeling 'down' because of the hunger games and some idiot somewhere thought a party would cheer them up. _What business of mine is it if some little kids get scared? Why am I doing this? I should be at home. I should be with Cato…_Mrs. Southerland thought.

Amethyst's mother watched her friend taking deep breaths across the room. She thought about saying something, but what? Not congratulations, not this year. Any other years, yes, but how could she congratulate her friend on her son's volunteering? How could she praise a boy who was pitted against her own daughter? How could she pretend that everything was okay when either of them could lose their child anytime? She couldn't.

As the preparations continued, Mrs. Southerland slipped out the back door. She was walking back towards the victor's village, back towards her home where her one remaining child waited.  
Amethyst's mother followed. "Hera!" She called. Mrs. Southerland turned.

The two women stared at each other, taking in little details. Each was dressed impeccably, a façade to hide their worry and fear from the district. Each was wearing heels, standing tall. Each had a vague look in their eyes every time they went out, because their minds were back at home, focused on their children.

Hera Southerland wished she could speak to her friend. Comfort her, console her. She wished she could speak of her own worries about Jaret and Amethyst, and be assured that it would be all right. But she could not bring herself to say these things. "Good day Mrs. Peterson," she said, then walked away. Cato was waiting for her at home. Her son. Her wonderful son. She walked through the back streets, so that no one would see her crying.

* * *

Atala heard the steps of the mutt slow behind her. She kept moving, trying to increase her distance from it. As she ran, she fumbled in her jacket for a throwing knife. If she could just get far enough away that she could stop and aim… She stopped and turned, panting heavily from exertion. She raised her hand to throw her knife, aiming straight for the muttation's eye. Just then a silver blur whizzed past her ear, and sank into the beast's hind leg. Atala turned around to see a little girl in the lowest branch of a tree, pulling out another knife.

"Duck," she called, and the knife spun over Atala's head. It hit the mutt in the eye this time. The beast reared, and charged at Atala. _My turn,_ she thought, and threw her knife. It went straight into the beast's open jaws. Two more knives came from behind her finishing the animal off. Atala heard a rustling as the little girl jumped down from the tree. The two girls looked at each other, realizing that now there were only two of them, and that they were now enemies once more. Amia slowly backed away, though she clutched a knife in her fist. Atala made a quick decision.

"Hey," she called to Amia. "Do you want to be allies?"


	13. Before the Storm

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't updated all month, the story kind of slipped my mind since I have been unbelievably busy. **

**Fun fact of the chapter: Amia and Atala are similar in many ways. Both their initials are AL (Atala Lagree and Amia Laksu), both of them have strengths that include identifying plants, using knives, and running, and both have a weakness for swimming. I just thought it was interesting. Anyway, I know I promised I would update every month, but well. That obviously didn't happen, since I missed November and December. I don't know if I'll be able to continue this story, but I'll try. Also, I know this chapter's really short. It's basically just filler fluff. Quiet before the storm and all that.**

**Happy new year everyone.**

**~Maysilee**

* * *

"What?"

"Allies. I just thought…" Atala repeated, feeling slightly awkward. "I mean…" _I don't want to kill you, _she finished in her mind. At least not yet. Eventually, one of them would have to die but she didn't want to think that far ahead.

"Yeah, sure." Amia said finally, holding out her hand. They shook on it.

Both girls walked towards the mutt's body, retrieving a few of the knives they had lost. They decided to go away from the forest section. Amia had seen a boulder field in the distance, and they decided to head towards them. While they walked, they chatted quietly, though keeping their eyes and ears open for any signs of danger.

Amia hoped that the audience had been satisfied enough with their fight against the mutt. Surely the gamemakers would give them at least a couple of hours of peace. No one had died in a while, relatively. The last person to go was the district one girl.

"So how many are left?" Amia asked.

"Hmm. There's the boy from district 1, both from 2, both from 3. The boy from 5-"

"And the girl from 4."

"Then both from 7. My district partner and me, and you."

"So there's 12 left."

"Yes." _Half the tributes gone already, _Amia thought. She shivered.

* * *

Hayden woke up, slightly disoriented. How long had he been sleeping? Where was he? He had a vague memory of a girl, Daphne, maybe, saying she'd shoot him. Or was it the other way around? He didn't remember. Hayden checked his food supply, his brow furrowing when he realized things were missing. Had an animal taken them? A tribute? But then why hadn't the tribute killed him? Not that he was complaining or anything.

Hayden decided he'd better keep going. He wasn't sure how far away the careers were, but he knew he should do everything he could to widen the distance. He and his mentor had been so sure the plan would work. And it would have, if only the careers had been normal. But no, this year, the group had started off small and quickly broken apart. Just his luck.

Hayden ate a couple of crackers, and took a small sip of water. He'd have to refill his bottle soon, but he didn't know where. _There must be a lake around here, or a river. _He hadn't seen any yet. _I could melt the ice... no…then I'd have to light a fire and I'd surely get myself killed. _He had seen what happened to tributes from past games who had run out of water. He knew how important it was. Hayden zipped up his pack, and loaded his bow. One could never be too careful.

* * *

"So," Tetnus Rimmer said to his two allies. "What is our next plan of action?" The girls looked at each other. Erina, Tetnus, and Myria had been moving ever since the games began, not staying in any place longer than a couple of hours. It had served them well, although they knew that at some point they would have to stop evading.

"We could set up a few snares," Myria said. "For animals or…never mind." She trailed off, realizing what she was saying.

"Good idea," Tetnus said quickly. "We need some food. Erina, do you want to do that?"

"Sure," Erina said, managing a smile. She grabbed some rope and walked a little ways off – still in sight but too far away to hear what Tetnus and Myria were saying.

"You seem to be talking more now," Tetnus said, remembering their conversation from the train.

"I know you better now," Myria replied, opening her backpack and rifling through its contents.

"I'm happy that you think so." Tetnus replied. He refrained from saying that he knew her better now too. It would only make it harder later on.


End file.
